Pierrefonds-Roxboro council (Photo by Harry Barba)
Two Greek flags stood prominently on a blue-draped table inside the wood-paneled municipal council chambers of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, flanking an open golden guest book meant to record a significant civic milestone. The visual arrangement established an atmosphere of deep reverence for ancestral traditions and language before the start of the regular council session. The gathering forecasted weighty themes of cultural preservation, the strengthening of Hellenic identity abroad, and the profound historical footprint of the Greek diaspora in Canadian society.
During the sitting on March 9, 2026, the municipal council passed a resolution to officially recognize the one hundred and twentieth anniversary of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal. The official municipal document highlighted the organization’s historical and current contributions to the social, cultural, and civic development of the local collectivity. Furthermore, the borough formally proclaimed the month of March as Hellenic Heritage Month. The resolution encourages all residents to participate in activities and events that highlight the history, culture, and continuous contributions of the Hellenic community.
The municipal documents provided deep context for the proclamation, noting that Hellenic thought, particularly its advancements in civic life, democratic participation, and collective responsibility, has profoundly influenced contemporary institutions and municipal values. The official agenda highlighted that generations of citizens of Hellenic heritage have remarkably aided the growth of the borough in fields including entrepreneurship, education, healthcare, community action, the arts, and philanthropy. The borough council also noted in its official texts that the Parliament of Canada is currently studying a legislative project to officially recognize March as Hellenic Heritage Month on a national scale.
Borough Mayor Dimitrios Beis welcomed a full room of attendees and online viewers to the meeting. He was joined by city councillors Sophie Mohsen, Louise Leroux, Benoit Langevin, and Chahi Tarakjian, along with the administrative team. Mayor Beis addressed the crowd to explain the cultural importance of the evening, noting that the borough was commemorating Greek Independence Day alongside the milestone anniversary of the Hellenic community. Earlier in the day, Mayor Beis, speaking as a municipal leader of Greek origin, had the privilege of hoisting the Greek flag at the borough hall.
The mayor took time to highlight the specific contributions of three distinguished guests seated in the audience. He first introduced Nikolaos Karalekas, the Consul General of Greece in Montreal. Mayor Beis listed the consul general’s extensive diplomatic background, which included serving as an ambassador advisor, deputy chief of mission at the Greek embassy in Stockholm, and diplomatic advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister in Athens. Mayor Beis expressed admiration for his record, noting that reading such a list of professional accomplishments puts everyday achievements into perspective.
The council also recognized several representatives of the local Greek community. Mayor Beis acknowledged these community members for their collective work in fostering civic engagement and maintaining the active educational, cultural, and religious institutions that allow the diaspora to prosper.
Mayor Beis invited the broader population to learn more about the Greek community. He announced that the local municipal libraries had brought out books and documentation illustrating the heritage of Greece. The mayor invited everyone to celebrate the history and the culture, adding humorously that the diaspora brought the amazing culinary traditions of Greece to Canada.
Weaving in a personal narrative, Mayor Beis shared his own family’s immigration story to provide a human element to the diaspora experience. He recounted that he was born in Canada, but his father decided to return to Greece when he was very young. Finding that Greece had changed during his absence, his father faced the difficult decision of whether to bring his children back to North America. When Mayor Beis was five years old, his father chose to settle the family in Pierrefonds. The mayor recalled that in 1970, the area consisted mostly of dirt roads and farmland. Reflecting on his current position after five mandates as borough mayor, he expressed deep emotion about raising the Greek flag at City Hall. He stated that if his parents were alive today, they would be immensely proud to see the municipality they chose fifty-five years ago recognizing their heritage in such a public manner.
At the culmination of his address, Mayor Beis requested that Consul General of Greece and representatives from the Greek community come forward to sign the borough’s golden guest book to formally document their visit. He then transitioned from speaking the two official languages of the council to speaking in his ancestral Greek language. He explained to the chamber that he pursued these recognitions for the community, for himself, and for his family, ensuring his children understand their origins and their potential. The mayor concluded the official presentation by stating, long live Greece, long live Canada, and long live Montreal.
